Grato
by got2luvanime9974
Summary: A new region. New places. New Pokémon. New faces. What adventures await a young trainer when he finally leaves home and traverses the vast and unfamiliar Grato region?


**Disclaimer:** I do not own Pokémon. However, the region, towns, characters, and most of the Pokémon used in this story are original.

 _ **Pokémon—Grato**_

 **Chapter 1—A Stranger and a Bet**

"Zephyr!"

I groaned loudly. _'Nope. I didn't just hear my name.'_

"Zephyr, get up!"

I groaned even louder and turned over on my side, taking the warm and silky sheets with me. _'Hell no. Mom is not waking me up.'_

"Oh for heaven's sake. Zephyr! Get your butt out of bed and downstairs for breakfast!"

"No!" I shouted back, drawing out the 'no' as if it would better get the point across.

I could hear the steps creaking. Great. She was coming upstairs.

The doorknob turned and the door swiftly swung open. "Zephyr, your breakfast is going to get cold." She walked over to my bed and yanked the covers off in one gentle yet strong tug. No matter how hard I tried to hang on, she always found a way to remove them. It was like her superpower.

"Give me five more minutes," I complained. "It's too early."

"It's 9:43 in the morning," my mother said matter-of-factly. "Now get up. You have work shortly."

Oh yeah. Work. I forgot I had to take care of that today. I could've sworn I had off. "Fine, fine. I'll get up."

"Good boy," my mother said cheerfully. She walked towards the door, but stopped briefly. "If you're not downstairs in 2 minutes, I'll have to ask Sherry to wake you up."

My eyes snapped open. Not Sherry. Anything but Sherry. She always tickled me mercilessly. It was the worst way to wake up. I quickly sat up. "Okay, fine! Geez, you're like a freaking slave driver."

"Well excuse me for thinking that a seventeen year old boy shouldn't sleep the day away and skip work," she replied before walking back down the hall.

I rubbed the sleep from my eyes. "9:43. I still think that's too early." I ran a hand through my messy black hair and pushed on my neck to try to work out the stiffness. "And I have to be at Professor Stone's lab in seventeen minutes. Seriously, what a pain."

I yawned while swinging my legs off of the side of the bed. With the very little willpower I had at this hour I pushed myself up and onto my feet. I swayed as I stumbled my way to the exit, my eyes barely open.

I trudged downstairs and to the kitchen where my mother was washing some dishes. Her long black hair was in a high ponytail and draped over her shoulder as she worked. I could see my usual breakfast of scrambled eggs and toast sitting on the table behind her so I made my way over and sat down. I began slowly eating. I hated mornings.

"I'm glad to see you up," my mother said without turning around. "I thought for sure that Sherry would have to wake you up."

"You know I hate it when she wakes me up," I replied. "That's why you said it."

She giggled. "Why I would never be so devious!"

"Yeah, yeah."

"So what will you be doing at Professor Stone's lab today?" she asked.

"Probably the same as usual. Habitat maintenance, feeding, clean up; I'm just an intern after all."

"Will you be late?"

"Don't think so." I looked around while shoving more food in my mouth. "So where is little Sherry anyway?"

The next thing I knew a gray mouse leapt onto the table. It was no larger than a foot tall and very thin. It had short arms and feet with little tiny claws. It had a long tail with a little white tuft on the end and rounded white ears that twitched atop its head. It had long, thin whiskers and two long front teeth. It squeaked happily as it looked at me.

I huffed and smiled while scratching it under its chin, causing its little foot to shake. "Good morning, Sherry. How are you this morning?" She squeaked in response. "Do you like being mom's secret weapon?" Another gleeful squeak. "Thought so."

Sherry is a Mousilk that my mother caught years ago before I was even born. They were partners on a journey she went on when she was my age. It's hard to believe that they've been together for so long. I've heard stories of battles they participated in, but I've never actually seen any. Now Sherry only helps out around the house and wakes me up when I'm being too difficult or something.

"Sherry doesn't want you to be late either, so eat up," my mother said. "Then brush your teeth, get dressed…"

"Mom, I know," I said. "I do it every day."

"Yes that's true, but someone is running late."

I put the last bit of food in my mouth and headed for the stairs. "I wonder who that could be," I mumbled as I headed up the stairs.

"Only ten minutes left!" she called after me.

I was out the door on time in spite of my mother's concerns. I said goodbye to her and Sherry as I ran down the road.

My mother and I—and Sherry—live in Shale Town in the Grato region. It's a very small town, so getting to the laboratory in town was simple. It only takes me a few minutes. It's a really peaceful place. Hardly any visitors come by. There are no Gyms or large stores or anything. Very simple. I like it that way. It leaves more trees standing. I truly do love this town. I took a deep breath of the warm late morning air and smiled. "A beautiful day."

I feel like I should clear something up. I really am a cheerful and happy person. I just really do hate mornings.

I soon arrived at Professor Stone's laboratory; the largest building in the whole town and even this building could hide pretty easily among the green trees. It's not anything fancy; it's a boring tan color with enormous windows lining the long walls. It's also only two stories tall. My favorite part, though, is the greenhouse out back. Out there, the bright sun will pierce the clear walls and illuminate every inch of the place. The plants and various Pokémon that inhabit said greenhouse love the warmth in there.

I opened the large red doors and stepped inside. "Professor Stone? It's me, Zephyr. I'm reporting for duty."

A tall man stood up from behind a large desk. He had short brown hair and a brown goatee. He wore a white, long lab coat that seemed far too large for his thin physique. Frankly he's quite frail looking, but I know him well enough to know that he's a lot stronger than he looks. A pair of round glasses rested atop the bridge of his nose. He smiled at me and gave a small wave. "Yo. I thought you had off today?"

Damn it, I knew it. "I did too, but my mom refused to let me sleep," I told him.

"Well did you tell her you weren't supposed to work today?"

I scratched my head. "It may or may not have slipped my mind."

"Well there you go. Anyway, it's not the end of the world. Having you around is a lot of help," he said with a laugh.

"Well then put me to work."

"Excellent!" he exclaimed before scratching his chin. "I guess you could start by running food out to the birds."

"You got it," I replied. I walked over to the wall near the door where my lab coat hung on a hook. I whipped it off and threw it on before heading outside once again.

I walked around back towards a small shed. Once I opened it up I grabbed a large and very heavy bag of Pokémon feed and carried it out. I remember back in the day when carrying this bag was near impossible. I would always have to drag it on the ground and sometimes the bag would rip and the food would spill and I would have a mini freak out. But now, after years of working here, I've gotten a lot stronger. Now I can carry these bags by slinging them over my shoulder.

I continued walking around the lab until I reached a small group of trees sitting nestled in a corner. And sitting on the branches of said trees were several species of Flying-type Pokémon; there were Noctowls, Pidgeottos, Murkrows, Swablus, Owloves, Telecrows, and Scraws. All of these Pokémon were rescued by the Professor over the years and they just never left after recovering from whatever ailed them. I feed them as part of my routine, but they don't have to be here. They could leave, fly off and travel, but they choose to stay.

Kind of like me.

"I see a lot of them showed up again." I turned around to see Professor Stone walking up to me with a smile as he looked at all of the birds in the trees. "They sure do love it here."

"I can't really blame them," I replied as I ripped the bag open and dumped nearly half of the contents in a large pile on the grass. I watched as the birds all squawked happily and swarmed the food. "They get fed pretty well here."

"True," Professor Stone laughed.

"Plus, what's not to love about this town? It's quiet and peaceful. They probably really enjoy that," I added softly.

Professor Stone grunted. "You know Zephyr, I can give you a Pokémon without trouble. It really would be the least I could do after all of the help you've given me over the years. You could take one and start a journey, just like your mother did and like your father currently is."

I clenched my fists tightly. "Why would I want to be anything like him?" I hissed.

"Zephyr…"

"He left us. He left me and my mom all alone for nearly 13 years. Hell, I only remember him a little bit since I was so young when he was around. But the worst part is that we have no idea where he is. He doesn't write or stop by. What, is he avoiding us?"

"How long are you going to keep this resentment towards your father?" he asked seriously.

"Who knows? All I do know is that I have no intention of doing what he did," I replied while slinging the bag of food over my shoulder and heading back towards the shed. "I won't leave my mom all alone just to go out on some journey. I love this town and I plan to stay."

I could hear him sigh, but he didn't reply.

Suddenly, I could hear a faint voice coming from inside of the lab. "Hey Professor, I think someone's here," I called out behind me as I walked.

"Oh my! Your hearing is like a Zubat," he said as he ran towards the lab. "Once you put that away, come inside in case I need help."

"You got it."

I walked over to the small shed and threw the bag inside. I swung the doors closed and sighed while resting my forehead against the hard wood. "He had to bring him up."

When I was a little older than four years old, my father left my mom and I. He didn't say a word. He just took his Pokémon partner and went on a journey. I only vaguely remember him and that may only be because of the pictures I've found hidden in Mom's room. I know she hides them because of the pain he put her through. As I grew older, I would wait for him. Even a letter would have been nice, but nothing ever came. And the older I got, the more hate I felt for that son of a bitch. Now just hearing him mentioned is enough to light a white hot fire of rage within me. By the age of thirteen, I had given up on him and decided that I would never do to my mom what he did; I wouldn't leave her alone.

I closed my eyes. "I just need to calm down and forget. Move on and have a good day. That's all I need to do." I took a deep breath, lifted my head and nodded swiftly. "Right! And it's forgotten!" I ran back towards the lab. "Now I wonder who could be visiting us so early."

I walked into the entrance of the laboratory, but I couldn't see the Professor anywhere. I scratched my head. "I wasn't gone that long," I muttered. "Where the hell did he go?"

I closed my eyes tight and thought. Where would he bring a visitor and where would he take them so quickly? If it were supplies, I would have passed them by on my way in so that's out.

Investors? Heh, what investors? We're not exactly rolling in funding. That's out, too.

That leaves one option. A new trainer must have stopped by to pick up their first Pokémon. That has to be it. I mean really, who else stops by this place in such a small town? And if it is a new trainer for their first Pokémon, then there's only one place that they could be.

The Research Lab where Professor Stone does all of his…well, research. It's also where he keeps the three starter Pokémon that trainers-to-be choose from.

I walked to the back where the Research Lab sat. It was secluded since the prof liked to work in silence. Made it feel oddly eerie whenever I had to go back there to clean up or reorganize something or fetch some notes from some binder. It was kinda like you were disappearing into some shiny alien facility.

The large metal doors of the Lab opened with a loud hiss to reveal the bright white and, again, very shiny Research Lab. There were large vats filled with some liquid that to this day I have no idea what it is (and I'm not sure I want to know). The room was illuminated by incredibly strong lights to eliminate all of those pesky shadows that like to hide in corners. I walked inside, hoping that I was right and that the Professor was here.

Sure enough, there he was. He was standing near a table where three pokéballs rested. He was smiling as he talked to his guest. I sighed. He always tries to be funny with new people. I walked over. "Professor Stone!"

He turned to me and beamed at me. "Ah, Zephyr! Took you long enough."

I raised a quizzical eyebrow at him. "What are you talking about? You didn't even tell me where it was you were going."

"Good point!" he laughed. Okay, so clearly that was supposed to be one of his jokes. Funny.

I looked at the person standing beside him. It was a girl. A pretty cute girl. She even looked to be my age. She had long black hair that was tied up in a high ponytail by a blue scrunchie. She was wearing a navy blue tank top and jeans that were rolled up to above her knees. She was smiling at me with such a bright expression. Her gaze from her sparkling emerald eyes made me feel just a little self-conscious so I found myself fidgeting slightly where I stood. "Hello."

"Hi there!" she replied with a wave. "Zephyr, right?"

My heart skipped a beat. "How'd you know my name?"

She giggled. "Professor Stone said it, silly."

I blushed. "R…Right." Like this cute girl would know someone like me. Stupid, Zephyr.

She held out her hand. "My name is Sera. Nice to meet you!"

I took her hand. It was soft and smooth and warm. "Nice to meet you, too."

"So I hear you help out the Professor."

I nodded. "Yeah. I've been helping out for a few years now."

"That's pretty cool. I bet you get to work with a lot of interesting Pokémon."

"Yeah, I suppose so."

"Great!" Professor Stone exclaimed with a clap of his hands. "Now that introductions are out of the way, allow me to fill you in, Zephyr." He gestured to Sera. "This young lady has come for her first Pokémon! Isn't that exciting?"

So I was right. "Okay, cool. Has she reached a decision yet?"

"We haven't been down here that long," he replied. "I only just finished going over the basics with her."

Thank God I missed _that_ speech. The Professor's spiel about starting a journey and the basics of being a Pokémon trainer had to be one of the most boring monologues on the face of this Earth. He could talk you into quitting your dream with the intention of encouraging you. And I'm lucky enough to have heard it hundreds of times. Yay. I looked over to Sera. She was still smiling at me, so she must not have been scared away. She still really wanted a Pokémon. "So have you thought about which one you may want?"

She shook her head, her ponytail whipping back and forth hypnotically. "No, I wanna see them first. Only then will I make my decision."

I laughed nervously. "You know they will look different if they evolve, right?"

"Obviously," she said with a giggle. "I'm not _that_ new to Pokémon."

"Zephyr!" Professor Stone exclaimed. "Would you please bring over the three pokéballs?"

Really? They're right there. Like, you could actually lift your arm and touch them. "Sure thing." I took maybe two steps forward and scooped up the red and white balls. I held them carefully in the palms of my hands as if they were cracked eggs on the verge of shattering. "Here you go."

He took one of them. "Thank you, Zephyr." He threw the ball in front of him. It snapped open once it made contact with the ground and a red light shot out. It began to take shape and before long a small brown Pokémon appeared. It resembled a short, fat log of wood with smaller logs for arms and legs. It had a happy smile on its face and its large eyes shone.

"Ree! Reela!" it cried.

"This here is Treelum," Professor Stone said. "He is a Grass-type Pokémon."

"He's adorable!" Sera cried as she squatted down to get a better look. "Look how happy he is!"

"Ree! Ree!" Treelum exclaimed as it waved its stumpy arms happily.

Professor Stone picked up Treelum's pokéball. "Return!" he commanded and a red light shot out of the ball's button, enveloping Treelum in a red light. In a matter of seconds Treelum had disappeared back into his pokéball.

"It's gonna be hard to beat that little cutie," Sera said with a giggle.

"Let's see who's next," Professor Stone said as he handed me Treelum's pokéball and threw out the next one. In the same fashion, a red light shot out of the pokéball and began to take shape. Soon, we could see a small knight-like Pokémon standing before us. It was covered from head to toe in armor and one of its arms looked like a dagger. A pair of glowing yellow eyes stared at us from the darkness beneath its feathered helmet. It stood completely silent and at the ready. "This here is Pyrince. He's a Fire/Fighting-type Pokémon."

"He's a little intimidating," Sera said with a nervous laugh. "He doesn't say much, does he?"

"Pyrince is a very loyal and protective Pokémon," the Professor replied. He called Pyrince back into his pokéball and handed it to me. "He wouldn't be a bad choice for a first time trainer. He's strong and very swift."

"I'll consider it," Sera replied, although I could tell that she already decided that she wasn't going to pick the little knight. It was written all over her face. "So that leaves the Water-type, right?"

"You got it!" he answered gleefully as he threw the last pokéball at the ground. In a flash of red light, a little Pokémon appeared. It looked like a little metal peashooter on twiggy legs. There was a large eye on either side of its metallic body as it stared blankly ahead.

"Rt," it said quickly.

"This is Watol," Professor Stone said. "He's a Water/Steel-type Pokémon."

"He's kinda cute, too," Sera said, "but I think I've already made my choice."

"Hoh?" he said with a smile as he recalled Watol. "And who have you chosen?"

"I would like Treelum!" she answered with an enthusiastic cry. "He was the cutest thing!"

"An excellent choice!" the Professor said. "Zephyr, would you please hand her Treelum's pokéball?"

I did as I was asked and handed her the pokéball I held in my right hand. "Here you are."

She squealed as she snatched the ball away. "Come on out, Treelum!" she cried. The pokéball snapped open in her hand and in a flash of red light Treelum appeared, still looking as happy as ever. "Hey there, cutie! You and I are gonna start traveling together as of today! Isn't that exciting? We're gonna be such good friends!"

"Reela ree!" Treelum replied with a big smile.

"One more thing, Sera," Professor Stone said as he walked off.

She blinked in confusion. "Where's he going?" she asked me quietly.

I'm pretty sure I knew what he was getting. "No idea."

After about a minute he returned with a small red item in his hand. Yup, I was right. He handed the item to Sera. "Here you go! One Pokédex!"

She slowly took it with an expression of pure shock like it was some divine artifact. "Oh wow," she breathed as she looked it over. "Thank you!"

"Give it a whirl," he said with a smile.

"Okay!" she exclaimed as she opened up the Pokédex and pointed it at Treelum.

With a small ring, a picture of Treelum appeared on the monitor and a voice began to speak. _"Treelum; the Stump Pokémon. It enjoys resting on forest floors, so it is often mistaken for a log by passing travelers. It is very friendly by nature and rarely gets into fights."_

"It sounds like he's a real sweetheart!" Sera said with a smile. She squatted down and picked up Treelum with a small grunt. "He's heavier than I thought," she noted as she pulled Treelum into a hug, "but I still love him!"

"I'm glad to hear it!" Professor Stone exclaimed. "I can tell that Treelum likes you. I think that you two will work well together."

"I agree," Sera said as she put Treelum down and called him to return to his pokéball. She looked at me. "So Zephyr, what Pokémon do you have?"

I shook my head. "Me? No, I don't have a Pokémon."

"Really?" she asked with what sounded like genuine surprise. "But why not?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "I never saw the point. I mean, I get to work closely with Pokémon here at the lab, so I never felt the need to get my own. I feel satisfied."

"But what about going on an adventure?" she asked. "What about seeing the world with your very own partner?"

I sighed in my head. Here we go again. "I don't want to go on an adventure. It's not really me."

She put her hands on her hips. "I can't accept that."

Really? You can't accept that? Who are you, my mother?

"I've been telling him the same thing for years," Professor Stone said while shaking his head. "He's just stubborn. He's finding excuses to keep himself anchored here."

Excuses? What the hell? Screw this. "I have to go take care of the Pokémon. It was nice meeting you, Sera." I turned on my heels and walked off. I wasn't about to get mad twice in less than 30 minutes.

"Wait, Zephyr!" Sera called out.

I'm not sure why I stopped when she called, but I did. "Yeah?"

"Let's make a bet."

I turned and looked at her with confusion. "Come again? A bet?"

"Yeah, a bet." Her arms were crossed and she was looking at me with absolute determination. What was she planning in that pretty head of hers?

"What kind of bet?" I asked cautiously. Something was telling me that I would regret asking.

She pointed at me. "We're going to have a Pokémon battle."

Yup, I knew it. "Why would I battle you? I don't even have a Pokémon of my own."

"You can borrow one," Professor Stone said excitedly. The smile on his face threatened to split his head in half. Damn it, Professor. You're loving this, aren't you?

"Even if I borrowed a Pokémon, what would be in it for me? Why would I do this?" I asked. What the hell am I saying? Why am I entertaining this ludicrous idea?

She smiled at me. "If you win, I'll treat you to lunch."

A totally stupid incentive, I know. I mean, treating me to lunch? That's not much of a prize to get me involved in a battle; something I've never really wanted to do. Ever. However, my stupid, seventeen year old boy brain interpreted it this way.

 _"If you win, I'll take you on a date."_

I blushed slightly and fidgeted where I stood. My throat felt strangely dry and my heart was beating loudly. A pretty girl was asking _me_ out. I nodded slowly. "Alright, fine. I'll take you on."

She giggled and jumped up and down. "Yay! Professor Stone, that's a verbal contract, right?"

"Oh, absolutely!" he replied with a smile.

Suddenly, my stupid hormones died down and I realized that something was off.

Sera threw out her pokéball and Treelum popped out. "Alrighty then! Let's do this! I can't wait for what'll happen when I win!"

"Who says you'll wi…" I froze. Holy crap. I totally forgot. I have no idea what she'll get if she wins. I never found out before I agreed. "Wait. What happens if you win?"

She smiled innocently at me. "It's nothing bad, I promise."

"What happens if you win?" I repeated nervously as my stomach sank.

She winked at me. "If I win, you're coming with me on an adventure!"

 _ **Pok**_ **é** _ **dex Entry**_

 _ **#001: Treelum**_

 _Stump Pokémon_

 _ **Type:**_ _Grass_

 _ **Height:**_ _1'11"_

 _ **Weight:**_ _65 lbs._

 _ **HP:**_ _3/5_

 _ **Attack:**_ _4/5_

 _ **Defense:**_ _2/5_

 _ **Special Attack:**_ _3/5_

 _ **Special Defense:**_ _2/5_

 _ **Speed:**_ _1/5_

 _ **Ability:**_ _Overgrow_ _—increases the power of Grass-type moves when the Pokémon's in a bind._


End file.
